A Victorinox Swiss Army shop is on the site today, but in 1972 the Gay Activist Alliance Firehouse opened, offering a safe and fun place to party, organize, hang out. New York City's first gay and lesbian community center, it became a model for other LGBTQ centers. Its Saturday night dance parties were packed. It was short-lived, however, shuttered in 1974 by a fire set by arsonists.